New
York City,
September 27, 2006—“These stories are hard to watch,” says the Rev. Bob
Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA. He is
describing a video, “Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and
Disappearances in the ‘War on Terror’”. It documents the stories of two
men who were secretly detained, tortured and flown between countries for
months without access to lawyers or representatives of their governments.

“What kind of a nation are we,” asks Edgar
in the introduction to the video produced by Witness, a Brooklyn-based
using videos to help human rights organizations. “Do we want to lift our
nation,” asks Edgar, “to higher standards and a moral commitment to civil
rights, human rights and people’s rights?”

The video uses personal stories ofKhaled El-Masri and Binyam Mohamed, two men who suffered in
secret detention, along with interviews of family members plus news video
of U.S. government officials. The video was produced in association with
14 organizations, including the NCC, Amnesty International and Human
Rights Watch. Edgar recommends the video for congregational discussion
groups to address this question of torture as part of our national
security policy. The NCC’s Justice and Advocacy Commission says the video
can stimulate conversations at an adult forum but is not suitable for
children due to description of torture.

The General Assembly of the NCC and Church
World Service, its partner humanitarian ministry, issued a statement at
its 2005 meeting in Maryland denouncing torture. “Torture, regardless of
circumstance, humiliates and debases torturer and tortured alike,” the
statement said in part (complete text below).

The release of the video comes at the same
time a Canadian citizen, Mahar Arar, brought legal action against the
United States and Canada for his secret detention and alleged torture in a
Syrian jail.

The 27-minute documentary is produced by Witness [witness.org], a video
production company that helps non-profit groups tell their stories in
pictures. Witness was started by musician Peter Gabriel and the Reebok
Human Rights Foundation. It has made several documentaries in
collaboration with human rights organizations around the world.

A limited number of the DVD with an
introduction from Edgar is available at no charge for congregational
viewing. Contact Sarosh Koshy, skoshy@ncccusa.org,
212.870.3403. A donation to cover postage and handling would be
appreciated.

NCC News contact: Dan Webster,
212.870.2252, NCCnews@ncccusa.org

A Statement on the
Disavowal of Torture

Based upon our
longstanding policies defending human rights and our affirmation of human
dignity as revealed in scripture, the General Assembly of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and Church World Service
meeting in Baltimore, MD, November 8 – 11, 2005, commends the United
States Senate for its recent passage of the “Anti-Torture Provisions”
which came as amendments to the Defense Appropriations Act of 2006. As
that bill now comes before the House of Representatives for action (H. R.
2863), we are deeply disturbed that leaders within our nation’s government
oppose legislation which publicly disavows our nation’s use of torture
anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances.

Within the core of our religious tradition are Jesus’ call to love our
enemies, his blessing of those who work for peace, and his instruction
that we are to do unto others as we would have them do unto us (Mt.
7:12)--a teaching found in other faith traditions as well. Both United
States and international law reflect this biblical mandate, a social ethic
commonly known as the Golden Rule, by upholding as core principles the
right of due process and the humane treatment of all prisoners, even in
times of war. As delegates to the General Assembly of the National Council
of Churches USA and Church World Service, we find any and all use of
torture unacceptable and contrary to U.S. and international legal norms.
We find it particularly abhorrent that our nation’s lawmakers would fail
to approve the pending legislation disavowing the use of torture by any
entity on behalf of the United States government.

Torture, regardless of circumstance, humiliates and debases torturer and
tortured alike. Torture turns its face against the biblical truth that all
humans are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26, 27). It denies the
preciousness of human life and the dignity of every human being by
reducing its victims to the status of despised objects, no matter how
noble the cause for which it is employed.

We believe that any reluctance of this
nation to publicly disavow torture under any circumstance not only erodes
the peace of the world but even the possibility of peace, since it
destroys the trust required for diplomacy and other non-violent means to
seek peace. Thus, we call upon members of the U. S. House of
Representatives to follow the lead of the Senate by approving the
legislation before it banning the use of torture by any entity of our
government. Furthermore, we urge the President of the U. S. and all
members of his administration to support this legislation by affirming
America’s long-standing commitment to refrain from the use of torture.